Daf random ramblingsA home for the things I think are worthy of sharing. Will largely be photography based.

Stuff I read (Part 1)

This is the obligatory “Stuff I like to read online” blog post.

Being the photography geek that I am – I collect lots of interesting photography links and will often subscribe to them via RSS feed. I previously used intraVnews for outlook, but then moved to GoogleReader so it would keep synch if I read stuff at home or at work (lunchtimes only of course 😉 ).

I have a Loooong list of stuff in Google reader at the moment but have at various points shared the most interesting ones with friends – either on forums or on Facebook – this is that list. I may well give you a list/export of ALL at some point for those that might be interested (hence the Part1/Part 2).

Apologese if any of these links are out of date – most of the below content is copied from my previously (non blog) posted list although I have corrected one or two. I know terrible Faux pas to post broken links but I’m a busy guy 😉

Strobist

This website is about one thing: Learning how to use off-camera flash with your dSLR to take your photos to the next level. Or the next ten levels.

Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about how to more effectively use your small speedlights. There are more than 1,000 articles about lighting. Over two million photographers from around the world have learned small-flash lighting techniques from this site. We’re thinking you can, too.

A Photo Editor

Got this one from a Pro photography fair when someone was giving a talk on what Photo editors want/don’t want etc. A step that anybody who goes pro should learn by the sounds of it.

On December 14th, after 2 long years, I quit my job as the Director of Photography at Men’s Journal. Before that I was the Photography Editor at Outside Magazine for 5 1/2 y…I’m tired of trying to change the media industry from the inside (I have great stories from my efforts that I will share with you in the coming months) and I really want to do something to lead this industry in the right direction. I think the blog is a good start but I have ideas for software and websites that I believe will greatly benefit professional photographers in the future so for the time being I’m going to devote all my energy to that.

Gerard Maas Images

Similar to Strobist but not so much content. Inspirational stuff still though.

Photocritic.org

The idea of Photocritic started in the late 90s: I had a grand idea of starting a photo criticism site, based on the Norwegian foto.no photo critique site, but aimed at an international audience, and on a far greater scale. I started looking into hiring a programmer to do the work, and started learning how to code myself as well. Soon, it turned out that the idea was a bit optimistic, and eventually I stumbled over a site called PhotoSIG, which had all the functionality I wanted from a photo criticism site.

By then, however, I had bought the Photocritic.org domain, and I figured it was too good a domain to just ignore. I used it as my photography portfolio for a while. In 2002, I started out as a freelance photographer, and as it turned out, Photocritic was not used as a company name by anyone, and soon, Photocritic Ltd was born

About the image

More about the photography Industry rather than photography itself. Although biased towards the Stock industry (like a few others) also covers general business based topics like copyright etc.

abouttheimage provides business news, information and resources about or related to the international stock image licensing industry. We approach this mission from the perspective of stock image company professionals. Both principal managing editors of abouttheimage, Brent Phelps and Chris Ferrone, have extensive stock image business backgrounds. We strive to inform and enlighten the three primary constituents of the industry from around the globe:

PhotoPreneur

Not a very busy blog, but nice interesting stuff from time to time.What is Photopreneur?

Photography is changing. Digital cameras have made taking photographs easier, cheaper and even more enjoyable than before. The Internet has created whole new markets — and new ways of reaching those markets. And even mobile phones have made it comfortable to carry a camera everywhere and all the time — a habit that once only dedicated professionals indulged in.Photopreneur exists to identify the new opportunities that these changes are churning up for professionals, hobbyists and for camera-owners who want to earn from their photography.Those opportunities might take the form of new buyers, such as website designers and bloggers. They might be new marketing methods such as microstock sites or Flickr streams. And they might even be new photography products.At Photopreneur, we try to spot those openings and talk to the people who have created them, the photographers who are using them and the buyers who are taking advantage of them. And we try to help other photographers make the most of them too.Who is Photopreneur for?Photopreneur is aimed at anyone who owns a camera. The relatively low cost of digital cameras has put the means to create professional quality images in the hands of almost anyone who wants to do so. Clearly, not everyone has the talent or the knowledge to create photos that sell. But some people do, not all of them are professional, and many would like to earn money from their skills. We hope to help those people generate some income from their photography.Part-time photographers too should find plenty here, from new market opportunities that they might not be aware of to marketing techniques that they might not have considered.And while we expect our professional readers to be already earning income and to have effective marketing strategies in place, we hope that they too can find inspiration here and ideas that can help their businesses grow.

I intend to provide interesting, useful info about Photoshop, Bridge, design, photography, and related issues. My job title is Principal Product Manager, Adobe Photoshop. My underground clubbing title is DJ Telnet. (Note: I don’t actually do any clubbing, underground or otherwise. But hey, I like the title.)

To help keep my eye on the ball about what really matters in this job, I’ve attached this quote to my door: When Alexander the Great visited Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for the famed teacher, Diogenes replied, “Only stand out of my light.” Perhaps some day we shall know how to heighten creativity. Until then, one of the best things we can do for creative men and women is to stand out of their light.–John W. Gardner

Photo Archive News

Again – mostly Stock business news but a few other things here and there. Used to host it on our servers for free as a favour before we ralised that their bandwidth usage was HUGE and costing us a fortune! lol

PDNpulse (Photo district News)

Again a blog/new site with lots of different things in the photo industry – from exhibitions, to stuff in the news.

“Photo District News (PDN), the award-winning monthly magazine for the professional photographer, has been covering the professional photographic industry for over two decades. Every month, PDN delivers unbiased news and analysis, interviews, and portfolios of the latest photographic work. PDN delivers the information photographers need to survive in a competitive business – from marketing and business advice to legal issues, photographic techniques, new technologies, and more. “

GTVone Photography

“Simon Pollock is one of London’s premier live music photographers and can mostly be found leaning on a fold back wedge with his finger on the go button of his Canon 5DMk2. Simon has been shooting music since April 28th, 2008 – But prior to that has worked extensively at no world class venues throughout the world, or toured with premier bands. Simon Pollock…….” <span> </span>

Not SO interesting or busy, but worth a look if you’re bored with work.

Fake Chuck

Ok – so this one’s less interesting and more funny. Well – saying that – although not looked at it much there is some interesting stuff there – but it should all be taken with a MASSIVE bucket of salt.A Chuck Westfall spoof. Not sure exactly – but I think the real Chuck is a Pro tog that’s a spokes person for Canon and the blog is still written as if it’s coming from Chuck although obviously isn’t. Canon even tried to shut him down!Some of the comments are very funny too – playing along, although others take it far too serious.Worth a giggle unless you’re a die-hard staunch Canon royalist in which case it’s best avoided.

Boss wasn’t in when I discovered it so I was reading it and chuckling to myself like an idiot.

Camera Price Buster

Ok – I assume you should all know this one, so no point giving a blurb.But I’m listing it now as I’ve recently discovered that it has some useful feeds.In my mind the first 4 are less useful as they list everything within those sections AND I think they list every item every day. Unfortunately it’s not possible to get a feed JUST one one item – so if you want to do that you need to do it on your client somehow:

Yes you get all sorts of stuff inc Sony + memory cards. But I reckon the feed will be a lot quieter than getting ALL <Canon/Nikon> lenses or SLRs

Chase Jarvis

Photographer. I’ve not listed many photographers on here – there are other threads for that – but this guy seems pretty inspirational. Cool dude with great photos that I think some of you will love (look – blue skies! ;o) but also has a blog that seems pretty decent. Not looked into it much yet but thought what the heck.Got the link from a listing saying that Joe McNally reads his blog – damn fine recommendation!

Creative live

Chase Jarvis + buddies have teamed up to give some free tutorials. BUT not free all the time.They seem to be pretty decent e.g. The Vincent laforet one. So what they’re doing is they’re free to view live or soon after, but then later on they charge for them.So it’s worth keeping an eye on the schedule : http://creativelive.com/calendar/

Blurb:

Q: Are these classes really FREE?

A: Yes, the live presentations are FREE. We support the broadcast of the live classes by recording them and making the recordings available for purchase and download.Q: How do I watch the live classes?

A: You can watch either via our LIVE feed at creativelive.com or via a GoToWebinar broadcast.The http://creativelive.com/live/ link will work for any currently broadcasting class. For GoToWebinar you must enroll using the links on the individual class pages in order to get the GoToWebinar link.Q: Why can’t I watch for free if I have to missed a class?

A: We love bringing you the live experience for free. We love to learn and share what we’ve learned with others. We’d prefer not to think about money but it does take a lot of time and resources to present these courses each week. It’s the sales of our class recordings that allows us to pay for it all.Q: In what format are the class recordings?

A: Our class recordings are presented in the QuickTime format. If you don’t have QuickTime loaded on your computer you can download it for free online.Q: Why do I have to register for the webinars?

A: We need to know that there is enough interest to sustain a class. We create an email list for each class. Once the class begins we use your email address to send you reminder emails with important class links on the day of the class.Q: Why do I hear an echo during class?

A: If you are using both GoToWebinar and the Live page simultaneously and you are hearing an echo, make sure that one of them is muted:You can mute GoToWebinar by clicking “use telephone” (and don’t use a telephone).You can mute the Live page by clicking the audio button in the lower-left corner of the page.Please note that the Live page is typically delayed about 15-20 seconds.Q: How do I ask questions during class?

A: In GoToWebinar you can use the Questions section of the GTW Control Panel. Whether watching GTW or LIVE you can join us for Chat using the link under the LIVE feed at creativelive.comQ: Where can I ask questions that aren’t answered here?

A: We will be hosting a forum in the near future. Until then you can send questions directly to training@creativetechs.com.

Fstoppers

“Fstoppers was created in 2009 in an attempt to organize online information pertaining to professional photography of all kinds. Founders Patrick Hall (www.patrickhallphotography.com) and Lee Morris (www.rlmorris.com) wanted to have a site that could not only feature high quality videos of photographers working but would also create a community for creative professionals to discuss their work and the work of others.”

Tom Guilmette

Although very much more a film guy, and he ocassinally mentions his full-time pro work – it’s all very interesting, and usually quite technical. Lots of fun videos showing high-speed cameras, trusck + rail systems, etc.

Fashion Photographers Blog

Not really looked at this one much – only just found it. But seems to have some interesting stuff.

This blog is presented for two different reasons. First, I aim to educate those photographers who are looking for inside instruction on lighting, directing and casting. I have tutorials that will take the viewer with me on fashion shoots where I will discuss topics from directing hair and make up artists to showing you, the viewer, how to create an edge light. I will continually write blogs on techniques ranging from background lighting to shooting editorial vs. commercial. The subject matter is vast and I intend to cover as much as I can. The second reason I am writing this blog is to give the reader an inside peek of the lifestyle of a fashion photographer. Is it as glamorous as the media depicts? I will let you be the judge.

Black Star Rising

“This is a group blog featuring articles to educate professional photographers, aspiring pros, and photography buyers alike. Our stories offer advice and viewpoints on the art and business of photography, based on the personal experiences of our contributors. We give our bloggers the freedom to write about issues of interest to them. All we ask is that blog contributions address substantive issues, be at least 500 words in length, and be written from a first-person perspective.”

Only just found it – but seems very interesting. A whole load of articles for photographers – not technical but about all other aspects – Inspiration, marketing, business, websites etc.

Shit Photosjournalists like

New Media Photographer

Althought I’ve followed it briefly for a while I’ve not really gone into it in any great depth (I’m not doing any sort of marketing etc etc … yeah sell it baby…) – but seems to be interesting. Mentions stuff about social media, blogging, knowing your competitio etc and that kind of stuff biased towards Photographers.

Resource Television

“Resource Manazine is a quaterly publication dedicated to the sub-culture of the photo production indusret. It explores all facets of the business, from mundane to the illustrious, covering the behind-the-scenes of a photo shoot.”

Resource Television lokos like it will be similar to Fstoppers – videos of photography stuff – although not necessarily BTS stuff (Fstoppers isn’t always BTS) and the more high-end produced stuff.